Quarrels in Quarantine: How To Cope With Working From Home With Your Partner

Let’s talk boundaries… At first, the prospect of working at home with your partner can seem exciting as you can spend more time together and sleep in for a few more minutes each morning. However, after a few days of being in one another’s space all the time, your relationship dynamic may start getting a little tense.

CherryDigital.co, a London-based public relations agency, conducted a survey to find out how self-isolation due to Covid-19 – or Coronavirus – is affecting people’s relationships across the UK. It was found that a large majority – 68% – of respondents say working from home every day has already put a strain on their relationship with their partner.

If your partner knows what makes you tick and you’re starting to feel like a time bomb waiting to go off, here are some tips on how to deal with the situation in a positive way:

• If you find yourselves having to work in close quarters, you can each use a pair of headphones to zone out and forget your significant other is in the room. This will allow you both to get through your to-do lists and organise your thoughts without having the other person distract you.

• Learn a new hobby together. Now is the perfect time to maximise bonding through activities such as cooking (buy your ingredients online to minimise contact) or learning a new language.

• Spend at least an hour per day on some sort of exercise routine. There are tons of at-home workout videos available online such as yoga, HIIT, dance routines and pilates.

• Ease additional stress by keeping your home neat and tidy by splitting up the household chores.

‘Of course, no one was prepared for the current circumstances in which we have found ourselves on a global scale. Being confined to our homes doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative consequence of self-isolation, especially considering we are able to take a break from the overwhelming stress of the outside world and spend more time with our partners,’ says a spokesperson for CherryDigital.co. ‘Make the most of your time indoors by indulging in activities that you have never had time to do together before. You could learn new skills together such as cooking challenging recipes, blending the perfect cup of coffee using barista rules or figuring out the formula behind solving a Rubik’s cube.’